Jesus Equal to God
God called himself the shepherd; Jesus called himself the good shepherd. God said he'd gather the nations and judge them; Jesus said he'd gather the nations and judge them. God said he alone could forgive sin; Jesus said he alone could forgive sin. God said that he would not share his glory with anyone; Jesus said God would glorify him. There is no doubt about it: Jesus believed himself to be equal 'with God. When asked by some religious Jews by what authority he did the things he did, Jesus quoted the name that God gave to Moses. He said "I AM." This was an unquestionable claim to be God himself. The Jewish people there immediately took up stones to kill him for what they considered to be his blasphemy. When he was on trial for blaspheming, the Jewish High Priest asked Jesus if he thought he was God. In effect, Jesus responded "You said it." The Priest immediately tore his clothes (a Jewish sign of great grief in the face of sin) and found him guilty. Jesus absolutely believed himself to be God, and his claims to be God were understood by those who heard him at the time. Thus, we have to decide only one thing: was Jesus lying, or not? Was he insane, or was he who he said he was? 'The Son of God In the 1st century in the middle east, to be a son was to have the powers and the authority of the Father. The son was already an owner of the Father's property, had the Father's power over his servants, and could even receive a loan on the Father's collateral. When Jesus says he is the "Son of God" he is equating himself with God. He is not saying he is lesser than God. This was not lost on his contemporaries. They understood exactly what he meant. 'The Father is Greater than He' Jesus said that the Father was greater than he. Jesus, in a body, in one place on the earth, certainly is lesser than God. But Jesus also said that he and the Father are one. He claimed the powers, the authority, the names, and the rights of God. 'Jesus Claims the Rights of God' Some of his claims to be God were subtle. You have to know the Old Testament to see that Jesus claimed for himself the rights of God, he called himself the names of God, he taught as if he had the authority of God, he forgave sin as only God can do, and he accepted worship from others as if he were God. Some of his claims to be God were clear, but they're lost on us today. In the 1st century in Judea, to be a son meant that you had the authority and power of the father. Jesus repeatedly called himself the Son of God, and when he did this, the Jews listening to him responded by attempting to kill him for what they thought was blasphemy. This happens over and over again. Some of this claims to be God were overt and obvious. *In John chapter 8, Jesus tells the Jews who he is. He refers to God's conversation with Moses, in which God told Moses "I Am that I Am," violating our sense of tense to declare that he had always existed. Jesus, responding to the Jews, tells them that "before Abraham was, I Am." He parrots the words of God that every good Jew would know, and clearly claims to be God himself. (And again, the Jews immediately try to kill him for this statement, showing that they understood full well what he meant.) *In John chapter 10, Jesus is walking in the courtyard of the Jewish Temple, and some Jews ask him "Are you the Messiah?" Jesus tells them "I've already told you who I was, but you didn't listen. I and my Father are one." Yet again the Jews respond by attempting to kill him. Jesus asks them what he's done that deserves punishment, and they respond: "“We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” (John 10:33) *On trial in front of the Jewish High Priest Caiaphas, Jesus is asked if he is the Son of God. Jesus essentially says "You said it." The Priest tears his priestly robes, a sign of grief in the presence of great sin, and declares there's no need to continue with the trial of Jesus, for he's just committed blasphemy in front of them all. There can be no doubt. Jesus claimed again and again to be God. Now we have to decide only one thing: Was he lying? Was he insane? Or was he telling the truth? These are really our only three options. The idea that he's a great teacher or a great leader is just silly, in the face of this unambiguous claim. 'Related Topics' *God *Historical Jesus *Holy Trinity *Jesus Christ *John 1:1 Category:Dr. Bobisms